Thursday, July 9, 2015

Another glorious day in El Salvador. Today we visited the
community of La Yanez. We piled into the truck and left. When we arrived we
were warmly greeted with handshakes and hugs. I was extremely excited to see
everyone again! I know a lot of people in this community. There was a brief
meeting with the Directiva and some of the community came first. People
introduced themselves and expressed gratitude for our visit. Many people spoke
and were excited about our visit. We met for about half an hour and then it was
time for the piñata. Yay! Kids swung away at the piñata hoping for candy. Eventually
the piñata broke and down rained the candy. They all rushed in to get as many
pieces as they could. I always love watching kids break piñatas.

Soon the fun was over and it was time to meet with the
Directiva. They talked about how grateful they are for the Pastoral Team and
their relationship with Westminster. They discussed the many projects that the
Pastoral Team and Westminster have helped out with and were incredibly
appreciative. Many people spoke about how the projects have personally helped
them. However, there are still needs in the community. Nobody owns their own
land in La Yanez and they don’t have proper houses. There is no school close by
and it takes a long time for the kids to walk to school. Overall, La Yanez is a
very poor community.

As of right now, no one has water in their water tanks
because it hasn’t rained for so long. People don’t know if they’ll have water in their tanks or a
harvest this year. This means no food and no security for next year. This means
they have to walk a very long distance to get water. The hike down to one of
their water sources seemed like something out of Backpacker Magazine. I barely
made it down to the source and only got there with the helping hands of several
people. Yes, people literally held my hand as I walked down some of steep
hills. If it wasn’t for them I’m sure I would have fallen. When we got there we
were reminded how oftentimes when people get to the water source, they have to
wait in line. And right now filing up your entire cántaro (water jug) can take
a long time.

Colds, the flu, and a high temperature are the most common
ailments in the community. Thankfully, diarrhea isn’t as much of a problem now
because of the water filters given to them by the Pastoral Team. But even these
minor problems cause stress in the community. There is no medicine in the
community and to try to transport sick people to a clinic is complicated. So
most people stay in their homes and suffer in the heat and without anything to
sooth them.

After the meeting we walked to each house in the community.
There was a lot of steep uphill and downhill walking involved. I love walking
house to house in this community. We always have a big group of people
accompanying us. It was a joy to be able to visit everyone in the community.
The families were all very welcoming and caring. I spent as much time as I
could talking to each family.

Eventually it was time to go. I had a very difficult time
leaving La Yanez. I always have a rough time saying goodbye to everyone. I
cried some as I left people behind. Especially Alicia and her mom. I know I
will see them again, I just wish it didn’t have to be such a long time in
between. I wish they had cell phones and Facebook but they don’t. I wish I
could mail them letters, but they have no addresses. The only way we’re able to
stay in touch is through God, our minds, and our hearts.

I’m having a hard time just finishing this blog. I want to
write more, but it makes me feel so sad. It gets harder to write the closer I
get to my departure date. I am going to attempt to write my final blog
tomorrow. Hopefully I’ll get it done. Wish me luck!